Park Sung Jin was walking with his friend in Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1 on July 30 when Nguyen Van Duc, 49, approached him and persuaded him to visit a massage parlor, the local police said.
However, when he got close, Duc grabbed the friend's wallet and fled. Park and his friend chased after him, but when they drew close, Duc threw the wallet and its contents away.
Park eventually caught him at the park near Ben Thanh market and handed him over to the District 1 police.
The district police handed him over to HCMC Police on Friday as he faces investigation for theft.
Park’s friend said his wallet had contained around US$1,100 in cash, ATM cards and some personal documents, and he could retrieve only part of the contents.